Burkina Faso

Forced displacement in Tapoa Province

A non-state armed aroup (NSAG) entered Boupiena Village in Tapoa Province, eastern Burkina Faso, on 11 November and forced residents to leave the village within five days. By 15 November, population movements were recorded from Boupiena to Diapaga Town, the provincial capital, although precise numbers are not yet known. Boupiena Village serves as a strategic location to supply the besieged town of Diapaga. Both NSAG members and the VDPs (Homeland Defense Volunteers, an auxiliary group of the Burkinabè Defence and Security Forces) have prohibited commercial activities between Diapaga and Boupiena. Humanitarian assistance by the emergency response team, has not yet been able to reach Diapaga due to access constraints. A similar incident took place earlier this month in Bogandé commune, 230 km north-west of Diapaga, where residents of Gnimpiendi and Banikidi villages have been forced to leave their homes by NSAGs.

Democratic Republic of the Congo

Floods leave 11,300 homeless in Dungu and Fizi territories

On 13 November, torrential rains caused three rivers to burst their banks, flooding Dungu in the northeastern Democratic Republic of the Congo. The flood damaged 720 homes, leaving over 4,300 people homeless. At least eight schools and five health centres were destroyed, affecting the schooling of over 1,000 children and disrupting health services for over 5,000 people. On 18 November, flooding in Baraka in Fizi territory, in the east, left four dead and 20 injured. According to local authorities, the flooding destroyed at least 700 homes, leaving 7,000 people homeless and 500 hectares of crops devastated. Most of the affected populations live with host families and need assistance. Since the beginning of the year, floods and landslides have affected several provinces including South Kivu, which experienced the worst flood disaster of the past six months, with at least 476 people dead and some 36,000 affected in May.
Though humanitarian organisations are assisting affected communities, many needs remain unmet due to a lack of capacity.

Central African Republic

Concerns as humanitarians face attacks

On 17 November, armed men shot at an NGO convoy between Bambari and Ippy in Ouaka prefecture, in the centre of the country.
The assailants took away satellite phones, computers, money and personal belongings. A day later, an armed man shot at another humanitarian organisation vehicle returning from Bangassou airfield (Mbomou prefecture) in the south-east of the country. The passengers on board were not injured. In the Central African Republic, a security incident affects humanitarian workers or property every two days. These include thefts, robberies, threats, interference and restrictions of movements. The Central African Republic remains one of the most challenging places for humanitarian workers. One humanitarian has been killed this year and four others injured.

Nigeria

Deadly fire outbreak destroys shelters

On 15 November, two children lost their lives when a fire swept through Muna Alamdari camp for internally displaced persons (IDPs) in Maiduguri, Borno State, north-east Nigeria. The Borno State Emergency Management Agency is still investigating the cause of the fire, and has suggested it was linked to people cooking inside their tents close to their clothes and beds. The fire began at about 6 am and lasted for over an hour before it was brought under control by fire service personnel. Humanitarian partners on the ground estimated that the fire destroyed about 1,000 tents in the camp, leaving many IDPs homeless and with nothing except the clothes they were wearing. The agency is working with aid organisations to assess the impact of the fire outbreak and respond to the needs of those affected. Meanwhile, the Borno State Government provided immediate relief materials including 500 bags of rice, blankets and other non-food items to those affected by the fire.